Entire Exquisite Bonsai Collection for Sale

Kevin1968 · Sep 13, 2023

These trees are on Ebay. I still don't understand why you would post something on a nation wide platform and not offer shipping. And place them in the price range of a store front. Start a web page for the store instead.

I personally just skip over these on ebay due to in person pickup. I have no need to go to California and will not just to buy a Bonsai Tree that's over priced. So you are advertising in the wrong places and just because you can get that kind of money in California doesn't mean you will in Florida. Not many people will fly/drive across the country to spend that much on a plant that could be got for a lot less locally. Yes the time to grow should account for something in some trees

I may be wrong but just my opinion. If you want to sell locally advertise locally. If you want to sell nation wide figure out the shipping.

ZombieNick · Sep 13, 2023

Mikecheck123 said:
I don't use "scam" to mean someone stealing money, but rather to mean big a rip off.

I used the term "predatory" in my first post. At best, the owner is drastically overestimating the value of their trees, at worst, they are pricing them to take advantage of newer enthusiasts who don't know the market. Scam is the incorrect term everyone is throwing around that I think is causing needless debate and attention to this post. OP is not looking to make off with your money, he is offering and prefers in person pick up. That still doesn't excuse the predatory pricing.... There are a few mentions of local clubs and I have to ask, would you actually recommend this sale to your fellow club members? I am a member of a couple clubs here in SoCal (a board member on one) and I'd warn my members against this sell rather than advertise it.

bonsailosangeles · Sep 13, 2023

rockm said:
My collection is going on 35 years old. I don't have any pines. I have species that I like, elm, maple, oak, BC. The seller seems to like needle junipers and boxwood (although there are other species in there as well from the photos). Using "high pressure" language is neither here nor there, really. The seller seems to have a background on selling on ebay, etc. That language is pretty common there.

I tend to come down on the side of this isn't a scam, as much as it is someone who isn't knowledgeable about bonsai or the bonsai market. That they have invited buyers to come in person and see the trees doesn't smell like a scam--although I would first ask the seller to meet in a public place before heading anywhere with cash--which is true of any online transaction that moves to in-person meetings. Also the photos aren't the standard stolen images used in a lot of bogus sales. They're of an established bonsai collection in someone's yard. None of the images I've reversed searched come up anywhere.

All in all, this seller would probably do better getting in contact with a local club to sell the trees. Less hassle all around.

Thank you for the information. Once more, there is no scam. Yes you are correct, these are the owner's personal benches. I am simply assisting the owner with selling their bonsai. I am not a bonsai expert by any means. This is one of the only places I've posted on behalf of the owner, looking to explore other avenues.

Bonsai Nut said:
It isn't a tree, so "not very". For all intents and purposes it is a desert plant. You can grow them natively in SoCal landscape without irrigation (once established) so they are a plant that can go 6+ months without water. There was a big rosemary "weed" in Laguna Beach that I had my eye on for years.

As far as some of the other general questions, it is difficult, if not impossible, to keep maples in SoCal with the lack of a winter, bad alkaline water, and hot winds off the desert that will defoliate a maple in 2-3 days. I tried, for years, and at best could only get a few trees to "survive" with extensive protection and acid fertilizer. Most people recommended that you can only keep them if you have softened water to irrigate them with... which I didn't have access to.

Also, there are a lot of various different Asian communities in SoCal. When I would go to some of the Vietnamese bonsai shows, they would have a different design vibe, than say, some of the old Japanese clubs. I know for a fact that some of the big Vietnamese enthusiasts either worked in landscape or knew someone who did, so some of the big trees were trees you would find in landscape - hedges etc that people wanted ripped out. Boxwoods, junipers, etc. You could remove a single boxwood hedge and have enough material for a dozen bonsai (or more). Not saying that is the case here, but if people haven't lived in southern California they don't have an appreciation for all of the different ethnic communities.

If anyone is interested, they just need to set up an appointment to see the trees in person. I'm not sure how that could be a scam...

After speaking with the owner, they told me they couldn't agree more and they had a big smile from ear to ear. Yes this is absolutely correct, including the various types of enthusiasts. I appreciate the vote of confidence and the voice of reason here.

We are meeting with some people soon actually who purchased, we will update afterwards. Some individuals were interested in driving cross country to pick up some of the specimen as well, we are quite excited.

Orion_metalhead said:
Unfortunate the lack of tact taken from the experienced parties here. There are some scam warning flags however, maybe people can offer advice on how the OP can prove this is not a scam, instead of insisting it is one.

I'm surprised at the species mix, honestly. A 40yr collection should have some maples in it. No tridents or pines? Can the seller explain their reason for the species they've curated?

After a conversation with the owner, they revealed to me that due to a major accident, around 100 bonsai plants were tragically lost because the person hired to water them failed in their responsibility. For a lack of better words, this had left the owner in a state of tremendous disheartenment. The owner has a deep appreciation for boxwood bonsai due to their slow growth, and they also acquired some from friends who had passed away, choosing to rescue and care for these plants that were otherwise abandoned and left to perish.

rockm said:
The rosemary was amended to "ornamental," if I remember. There is a market for such things. A search on Artificial bonsai can bring up stuff like that that is sometimes priced in the thousands. Not saying that rosemary is worth that to someone who knows bonsai, but given the number of artificial trees out there, someone may be interested --prices are negotiable from the seller. Rip offs are relative in some instances...

bonsailosangeles · Sep 13, 2023

Additionally, via eBay, there is buyer and seller protection in place and we are only meeting in a designated, public common area after confirmed purchase for pickup of the bonsai. We also take Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, and wire transfer if preferred.

ZombieNick · Sep 13, 2023

bonsailosangeles said:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/314826332473

Kevin1968 · Sep 13, 2023

@ZombieNick looks like they are selling the rock.

ZombieNick · Sep 13, 2023

Kevin1968 said:
@ZombieNick looks like they are selling the rock.

Clean it up and list it as a slab. Why leave the dead tree on it and try to pass it as suiseki?

Forestcat · Sep 13, 2023

Cajunrider said:
Compared to the trees listed, I think most everything in my feeble collection is Colossally Exquisite.
As for the dead rosemary, I now think I know who took the dead Borat BC from my garbage can. I put Borat into the can and found it gone before the garbage truck arrived. I was really scratching my head. Now I know.

That's a long trip from Louisiana to LA ...

Bonsai Nut · Sep 13, 2023

ZombieNick said:
Clean it up and list it as a slab. Why leave the dead tree on it and try to pass it as suiseki?

Perhaps it is one of the trees that the seller loved... and recently lost because his gardener did not water properly?

ZombieNick · Sep 13, 2023

Bonsai Nut said:
Perhaps it is one of the trees that the seller loved... and recently lost because his gardener did not water properly?

Sure, and I can sympathize, but that isn't relevant. I understand loving your trees and over pricing them for sentimental reasons, but this listing appears to be outright deceitful. It's a dead tree, planted on a slab, that is being spun as "suiseki", just like the last one was spun as a "sculpture".

_#1_ · Sep 13, 2023

bonsailosangeles said:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/314826327458

Japanese Californi Bonsai (Oak)

^ I'm relatively new; what that mean?

bonsailosangeles · Sep 13, 2023

Bonsai Nut said:
Perhaps it is one of the trees that the seller loved... and recently lost because his gardener did not water properly?

That is exactly correct. Thank you again for your understanding.

ERClover · Sep 13, 2023

This absolutely reeks. This person or persons hasn’t *really* answered any questions and there is more than one thing off about how they are going about this from every angle. After reading the thread I am honestly surprised this attempt is still even being entertained here at all. These photos could’ve been ripped from absolutely anywhere and I am willing to bet expressing any willingness to buy will be met with payment in advance of “pickup”.

bonsailosangeles · Sep 13, 2023

ERClover said:
This absolutely reeks. This person or persons hasn’t *really* answered any questions and there is more than one thing off about how they are going about this from every angle. After reading the thread I am honestly surprised this attempt is still even being entertained here at all. These photos could’ve been ripped from absolutely anywhere and I am willing to bet expressing any willingness to buy will be met with payment in advance of “pickup”.

No.
Payment will be made at the time of the pickup, and once more, we are new sellers and offer purchase through eBay as a third party to protect the purchaser. It is entirely at the discretion of the buyer to purchase using eBay or otherwise, whatever method of payment they are most comfortable with.

ERClover · Sep 13, 2023

bonsailosangeles said:
No.
Payment will be made at the time of the pickup, and once more, we are new sellers and offer purchase through eBay as a third party to protect the purchaser. It is entirely at the discretion of the buyer to purchase using eBay or otherwise, whatever method of payment they are most comfortable with.

You sure love reminding everyone about the method of payment…

I’ll take the advice of one of the other posters and take my leave of this thread but you’ve managed to trigger every possible alarm bell with how you’ve gone about this. I don’t have to look any further than “Shiba Inu Deals” and the knockoff dogecoin logo to have my hackles raised by associating yourself with a joke of a crypto scam.

Best of luck to any who take a chance on this supposed entrepreneurial group of college kids. None of the writing I have seen here strikes me as being created by any such person. All I can see is ill masked scam. Sorry.

gfreak · Sep 13, 2023

ERClover said:
You sure love reminding everyone about the method of payment…

I’ll take the advice of one of the other posters and take my leave of this thread but you’ve managed to trigger every possible alarm bell with how you’ve gone about this. I don’t have to look any further than “Shiba Inu Deals” and the knockoff dogecoin logo to have my hackles raised by associating yourself with a joke of a crypto scam.

Best of luck to any who take a chance on this supposed entrepreneurial group of college kids. None of the writing I have seen here strikes me as being created by any such person. All I can see is ill masked scam. Sorry.

for what it's worth, I don't believe it is a scam (in the sense of just taking the money and getting nothing). And he's mentioning the method of payment, because ebay actually does have pretty good buyer protection nowadays.

It is a group of people with no knowledge of bonsai themselves. and then using the "aggressive" Selling verbiage with stuff like
:
" This is your chance to own a piece of art that combines the wonders of nature with the elegance of home décor. Act now, and you'll be the proud owner of the last available Japanese Californi Bonsai Tree: Oak 26". Make your living space truly extraordinary."

and

"Remember, this is the last one in stock, and when it's gone, it's gone. Act quickly, and you'll be the envy of all your friends with this awe-inspiring piece of natural beauty. Place your order today for local pickup only. Your journey to a more harmonious living space begins here!"

I'm still pretty new to bonsai, but i'm not new to Sales and to me it just smells of bad salesmanship

Those quotes were from the page: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314826327458

Which, unless i'm missing something about that species... i could find a better one than that for prolly 35$ (like i said though, new to bonsai0

ERClover · Sep 13, 2023

gfreak said:
for what it's worth, I don't believe it is a scam (in the sense of just taking the money and getting nothing). And he's mentioning the method of payment, because ebay actually does have pretty good buyer protection nowadays.

It is a group of people with no knowledge of bonsai themselves. and then using the "aggressive" Selling verbiage with stuff like
:
" This is your chance to own a piece of art that combines the wonders of nature with the elegance of home décor. Act now, and you'll be the proud owner of the last available Japanese Californi Bonsai Tree: Oak 26". Make your living space truly extraordinary."

and

"Remember, this is the last one in stock, and when it's gone, it's gone. Act quickly, and you'll be the envy of all your friends with this awe-inspiring piece of natural beauty. Place your order today for local pickup only. Your journey to a more harmonious living space begins here!"

I'm still pretty new to bonsai, but i'm not new to Sales and to me it just smells of bad salesmanship

Those quotes were from the page: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314826327458

Which, unless i'm missing something about that species... i could find a better one than that for prolly 35$ (like i said though, new to bonsai0

It should tell you all you need to know that this clown is now crying inexperience with Bonsai after coming in here with “Hello, fellow Bonsai enthusiasts!”

I also find it sketchy that they’re posting WhatsApp images. Im also picking up on language that just…feels manufactured and extremely disingenuous.

Again, it’s not going to be any skin off my back as there’s no chance I come anywhere near this given everything readily on display about how sketchy it is. But I do worry that some of the folks providing far more grace than I feel this proven deceiver (purported fellow bonsai enthusiast, remember?) deserves are being lured in.

Paradox · Sep 13, 2023

How about we all just stop responding to this thread and let it die.

Yea I know I just responded

Let.it.die.

Mikecheck123 · Sep 13, 2023

ZombieNick said:

Holy goddamn shit. I had calmed down until I saw this.

"Condition: Excellent. This item is in excellent condition, showing minimal signs of wear and tear, if any. It has been meticulously inspected and tested to ensure it functions perfectly. You can trust that this product is in top-notch condition and ready to meet your expectations. Buy with confidence!”"

[EDIT]

"
Are you ready to elevate your home or garden to a whole new level of elegance and serenity? Well, you're in for a treat because we have something truly exceptional for you - the Japanese Suiseki Bonsai Rock! This exquisite piece of art is not just a rock; it's a masterpiece sculpted by Mother Nature herself."

[EDIT]

"Its natural beauty is unparalleled, and it exudes an aura of tranquility that will captivate anyone who lays eyes on it."

[EDIT]

"It's a masterpiece of natural beauty, sculpted by centuries of geological artistry."

[EDIT]

"Don't let this opportunity slip through your fingers! This Suiseki Bonsai Rock is not just a rock; it's a symbol of elegance and tranquility waiting to grace your life. Act now, and let the beauty of nature adorn your world."

Thanks, ChatGPT.

[EDIT] You can make your point without all the swearing. - BNut [/EDIT]

19Mateo83 · Sep 14, 2023

Mikecheck123 said:
Holy goddamn shit. I had calmed down until I saw this.

"Condition: Excellent. This item is in excellent condition, showing minimal signs of wear and tear, if any. It has been meticulously inspected and tested to ensure it functions perfectly. You can trust that this product is in top-notch condition and ready to meet your expectations. Buy with confidence!”"

[EDIT]

"
Are you ready to elevate your home or garden to a whole new level of elegance and serenity? Well, you're in for a treat because we have something truly exceptional for you - the Japanese Suiseki Bonsai Rock! This exquisite piece of art is not just a rock; it's a masterpiece sculpted by Mother Nature herself."

[EDIT]

"Its natural beauty is unparalleled, and it exudes an aura of tranquility that will captivate anyone who lays eyes on it."

[EDIT]

"It's a masterpiece of natural beauty, sculpted by centuries of geological artistry."

[EDIT]

"Don't let this opportunity slip through your fingers! This Suiseki Bonsai Rock is not just a rock; it's a symbol of elegance and tranquility waiting to grace your life. Act now, and let the beauty of nature adorn your world."

Thanks, ChatGPT.

[EDIT] You can make your point without all the swearing. - BNut [/EDIT]

Entire Exquisite Bonsai Collection for Sale

Yamadori

Shohin

Seedling

Seedling

Shohin

Yamadori

Shohin

Yamadori

Nuttier than your average Nut

Shohin

Omono

Seedling

Mame

Seedling

Mame

Mame

Mame

Marine Bonsologist

Omono

Masterpiece

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